Tóth Vilmos: Funeral Art - Our Budapest (Budapest, 2006)

Funeral Art in the Second Half of the 20th Century

Though not quite so imaginative, Varga's earlier funeral works are just as experimental as the later ones, which are exemplified by the tombs of György Kálmán (F 22/1), Zoltán Várkonyi (F 25), József Darvas (K 34/2), and Vlagyimir Gribov (K 42/3), or the Gőzön and the two Kellér monuments in Kozma utca Cemetery. Placed on a chromium-steel pallet covering the grave of László Gábor (F 46/7) is a female torso, a piece whose earlier copies stand in public places or public buildings, suggesting that the interpretation of the work depends on its environment and thus its status as a funeral monument is the function of an epitaph. That it is not, however, unique to Varga’s oeuvre is borne out by the fact that several earlier instances of a similar nature can be found. The work marking the grave of László Rajk had a curious history; the case here is not that of the same work appearing in a variety of versions, but of a memorial plaque set up in 1969, then removed as the political climate of the country changed, to be subsequently reused as a funeral monument in 1995 (K11). Several monuments imitating the themes or forms of Varga's works have been erected in the cemeteries of Budapest; lacking the innovative spirit of their models, these pieces are really open to criticism. Such is the case with the tomb of József Timár by József Kampfl (F 8/3) or that of Géza Hofi by Tamás Asszonyi (F 25), both traceable to the Básti and Honthy monuments.

Some of Hungary's sculptors working in the latter half of the 20th century made traditional works of funereal art where the observance of stylistic convention resulted in exquisite forms. A remarkably large number of funeral works can be attributed to Barna Búza, including the tombs of Imre Takács (F 6/3), Tibor Bakács (F 12/1) or Hilda Gobbi (F 22/1). Of particular interest is the tombstone of Béla Kondor (F 6/9), where the relief on the winged altar alludes to a work by the deceased painter. Another prolific sculptor of funeral monuments is János Andrássy Kurta. One of his first works is the tombstone of the Bandi family with the representation of a scene from Golgotha on it (F 6 circus), and some of his most recent works include a sculptural portrait of Dezső Szabó, the writer buried underneath (K 24). The Járfás (F 33/3), the Gregersen (F 35) and the Losonczy (F 39/1) monuments, among others, were made by Alice G. Lux; the tomb of Andor Pünkösti is the work of János Konyorcsik (F 19/1), while the monument of Mihály Székely was sculpted by Ferenc Kovács (F 43/1). Plaques reflecting upon the life-work of the deceased were made for the Huszár (F 2) and the Zolnay (F 2/2) monuments by Ferenc Csúcs, and by Sándor Tóth for the Békefi tomb (F 28). Most significant of István Tar's works are the monuments over the graves of

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